New York City Council Democrat Mark Levine is insisting people should not blame protesters in the event of a spike in coronavirus cases in the weeks ahead. Instead, he is arguing a different perspective.
On Wednesday morning, Levine took to Twitter with a tweet that read, “Let’s be clear about something: if there is a spike in coronavirus cases in the next two weeks, don’t blame the protesters. Blame racism.”
And let's remember that the police are increasing covid risk by:
— Mark D. Levine (@MarkLevineNYC) June 3, 2020
* using tear gas
* herding demonstrators into tight spaces
* putting people in crowded jails
Levine’s tweet comes amid ongoing protests in New York City (NYC). Demonstrations have taken place in NYC for over a week, intensifying to riots, vandalism, and looting.
While many most demonstrations have been peaceful with protesters wearing masks, social distancing has been relatively non-existent.
https://twitter.com/NoahHurowitz/status/1267965279298039814
Due to ongoing unrest in New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) and the New York Police Department (NYPD) have been accused of failing to do their jobs, as previously reported on IJR.
“The NYPD and the mayor did not do their job last night,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said following the series of events that unfolded on Monday night.
The governor also suggested de Blasio “underestimates the scope of the problem” and the “duration of the problem.”
#BREAKING: Cuomo says de Blasio can be "displaced" and that he can "take over the Mayor's job."
— The Hill (@thehill) June 2, 2020
Cuomo: "The NYPD and the Mayor did not do their job last night…It was a disgrace." pic.twitter.com/NizwmXyW9H
On Tuesday, Dr. Deborah Birx expressed concern about the possibility of a spike in coronavirus cases in the coming weeks, as previously reported on IJR.
While all states had already entered some phase of reopening amid the coronavirus outbreak, prior to the death of George Floyd, nationwide protests and demonstrations have resulted in people being in close proximity for extended periods of time more often than not.
During a discussion on Tuesday, Birx warned Americans not to adopt a “false sense of security” by assuming cases may go down during the summer months.
“None of us can be lulled into this false sense of security that the cases may go down this summer,” Birx said.
As of Wednesday afternoon, there are more than 1.8 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States and the death toll, which currently stands at 108,608, is continuing to rise.